*Official* England in South Africa

[Uppercut]

Yeah its a good strategy, but you have to do it in matches where the dew doesn't have the opposite effect right?

Of course. There's only a select few grounds where you can use it- Newlands, Durban and Colombo. Anywhere else and the toss isn't decisive enough.

I'm sure the bubble will burst at some point. If nothing else, the whole of CW will be cashing in and driving the prices down .

 

[King Pietersen]

What is wrong with Stuart Broad? He's seen Bresnan have success and keep the runs under wraps somewhat with the yorkers, so what does he do? Decides to bowl a mix of short balls, length deliveries and full tosses. Genius. How he got 4 wickets in this innings I don't know, so lucky.

 

[kingkallis]

This equalled the highest total @ Newlands - 354

Highest chasing is 229

 

[popepouri]

I see that Anderson only sent down seven overs today - at a tick under 8 a time. That's pretty shocking for the so-called leader of the attack who's played 118 of these games.

EDIT
And Broad's just picked up his 3rd wicket - a tad flattering, but he's kept going rather better than his senior partner.

Gets his 4th. Well bowled.

 

[wpdavid]

Of course. There's only a select few grounds where you can use it- Newlands, Durban and Colombo. Anywhere else and the toss isn't decisive enough.

Pretty much anywhere in England?

 

[wpdavid]

This equalled the highest total @ Newlands - 354

Highest chasing is 229

Yeh, I gather the previous 354 was against Kenya, which says rather a lot about England's effort today. Looks my predicted victory margin of 100+ was somewhat understated.

 

[Pothas]

Really good watch that innings, three really good innings in that total and one simply fantastic one. Very unlikely that we will chase that but maybe Pietersen will produce something today, he seems to have got less atention payed towards him of late, think he might just remind everyone of why he is so great.

Still cannot handle Luke Wright in out side though.

 

[Goughy]

I had no idea (until just looking) that Anderson played 20 ODIs in 2008 and averaged 74.70 at an econ of 5.65.

Suprized more had not been made about that terrible record. It is not overly relevant now apart from to illustrate the lack of talent available to England and that certain players would have to shoot the Queen in order to be dropped.

 

[TT Boy]

Strange bogey team to have in England for Duminy. Always looks cack against them.

 

[Uppercut]

Pretty much anywhere in England?

Ish. Intuitively you always expect it to make a difference, but (to my awareness) none of the grounds there have ridiculous amounts of data supporting it. South Africa look like making it 13 in a row at Newlands, Durban's not so conclusive because there's been a lot of no-results but you're still looking at 8 of the last 10 toss-winners taking the match, Colombo the figure is 12 of the last 13.

What always amuses me is that fans of the winning team always like to act as though the toss played no role. "Sure, it helps, but we were the better team, we would have won anyway" they say. Which is a bit like winning a football match where your side had twice as many men then insisting you would have won anyway as you were the better team.

 

[Uppercut]

Strange bogey team to have in England for Duminy. Always looks cack against them.

Could have applied to the whole South Africa ODI team before today tbf.

 

[Furball]

I had no idea (until just looking) that Anderson played 20 ODIs in 2008 and averaged 74.70 at an econ of 5.65.

Suprized more had not been made about that terrible record. It is not overly relevant now apart from to illustrate the lack of talent available to England and that certain players would have to shoot the Queen in order to be dropped.

Problem is, who replaces him?

Flintoff and Broad aside, England don't have an ODI bowler who produces the goods consistently (and I know Broad was shocking today, but he does have 4for.)

 

[TT Boy]

Be nice if Amla converted one of those fifty plus scores he keeps getting into a century, just so the selectors can forget about having Kallis open. Looks the part at the top of the order and I'm not sure why with an average over 50, S/R over 80 in 20 plus ODI's that he was not Gibbs' original replacement.

 

[wpdavid]

Problem is, who replaces him?

Flintoff and Broad aside, England don't have an ODI bowler who produces the goods consistently (and I know Broad was shocking today, but he does have 4for.)

Sidebottom? Maybe Onions could develop into a good oneday bowler if he had a good run in the side?

 

[popepouri]

Be nice if Amla converted one of those fifty plus scores he keeps getting into a century, just so the selectors can forget about having Kallis open. Looks the part at the top of the order and I'm not sure why with an average over 50, S/R over 80 in 20 plus ODI's that he was not Gibbs' original replacement.

ATWA. He seemed to be not favoured with the selectors after the Aussie game where he walked.

 

[aussie]

I had no idea (until just looking) that Anderson played 20 ODIs in 2008 and averaged 74.70 at an econ of 5.65.

Suprized more had not been made about that terrible record. It is not overly relevant now apart from to illustrate the lack of talent available to England and that certain players would have to shoot the Queen in order to be dropped.

That was last year. In 2009 has been very solid, its only the other day in CT he had two superb spells vs SA & SRI. Anderson remains a must pick in the ODI team.

 

[aussie]

Sidebottom? Maybe Onions could develop into a good oneday bowler if he had a good run in the side?

Onions is no hoper in ODIs for me. Sidebottom can pass though, but wouldn't pick him in front of Anderson.

 

[TT Boy]

Could have applied to the whole South Africa ODI team before today tbf.

Well if you exclude Smith and think a handful of ODI's played between Amla, Virus, McLaren, van der Merwe and Parnell is enough then maybe. Steyn, Duminy and until today, de Villiers are the ones who do not enjoy playing against England in ODI's and in the case of Steyn, in any form of cricket.

 

[Pothas]

Luke Wright......JUST NO!!!

 

[TT Boy]

Onions is no hoper in ODIs for me. Sidebottom can pass though, but wouldn't pick him in front of Anderson.

That is all England need, another bowler who does not know how to take wickets.